There is an ongoing need for medical implants having improved adhesion. Such implants can be suited to use in various applications such as an adjunct to or replacement for sutures and staples used to close surgical incisions.
Tissue reinforcing implants, commonly referred to as areal implants or meshes, have been developed that match or compliment the mechanical properties of the underlying tissue. These implants generally require the use of sutures or staples around the entire periphery of the implant to hold the implant in the surgical site. It would be highly desirable to have an implant that can be placed on the surgical site and maintains its placement without using sutures or staples.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,331,199 to Ory et al. discloses a prosthetic knit for medical or surgical use which has a structure made of monofilament and/or multifilament yarn which is biocompatible and optionally partially bioabsorbable. According to the invention, this knit comprises a monofilament sheet forming, on one face of the knit, spiked naps which protrude perpendicularly with respect to said sheet, that is to say naps each having a substantially rectilinear body and, at the free end of this body, a head of greater width than that of this body.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,503 to Jacobs et al. discloses a tissue approximation device and processes for using the device. The device is an implantable, biodegradable construct (except for hernia repairs) that has attachment points emanating from a supportive backing. The device improves the mechanical phase of wound healing and evenly distributes tension over the contact area between the device and tissue. Processes for using the device include wound closure, vascular anastomoses, soft tissue attachment and soft tissue to bone attachment. Several variations are particularly applicable to facilitating tissue approximation in surgical cosmetic applications, particularly brow lifts. Generally, scalp tissue to be lifted may be set on a brow lift device via attachment points, and the device may then be secured to a patient's cranium. Variations of the device are described along with a method of installing the brow lift device. Also described is a tool particularly useful for installing a brow lift device.
World Patent No. WO 2009/067482 to Karp et al. discloses an adhesive article including a biocompatible and at least partially biodegradable substrate having a surface; and a plurality of protrusions extending from the surface. The protrusions include a biocompatible and at least partially biodegradable material, and have an average height of less than approximately 1,000 micrometers.
For the adhered-to substrate, e.g., living tissue, an implant that provides adhesion by non-chemical interactions between the implant and the substrate would be highly desirable. Additionally, it would be highly desirable to provide an implant with adhesive structures that would limit damage to the tissue it contacted by being optimized to pierce and attach to the tissue but small enough not to damage the tissue.